Syrsky asks US for more air defense systems, missiles
Ukraine urgently needs the United States and European countries to provide Kyiv with more air defense systems and missiles and not enforce a ban on deep strikes on Russian military targets under former U.S. President Joseph Biden to help push the war into Russian territory, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Saturday in an interview with The Washington Post published Wednesday.
He said new supplies of air defense weapons, including U.S. Patriot missiles, drone interceptors and light aircraft to shoot down drones, could help deter Russian attacks. More medium- and long-range missiles, including U.S. ATACMS systems and German Taurus systems, if issued without restrictions on their use, would allow Ukraine to slow down Russian weapons production by targeting the infrastructure that makes its missiles and drones.
"They are targeting virtually everything — airfields, populated areas, infrastructure facilities,” Syrsky said of Russia. “So, of course, we need supplies of ballistic missiles in order to be able to give the enemy a fitting rebuff," said Syrsky.
At the same time, he did not answer whether Ukraine had any ATACMS systems left in stock, although, as the publication notes, "it is well known that the country's stocks have run out." When asked whether the new batch of American missiles would save the lives of Ukrainians, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine replied: "Of course."
According to Syrsky, in addition to the shortage of air defense systems and missiles for them, the Ukrainian ground forces also have a shortage of 155-mm artillery shells on the front line. "We have highly motivated and courageous soldiers who can move forward, but they need modern, reliable means of protection," he said.
It is noted that the Biden administration has long refused to authorize strikes on Russian territory, fearing that they would provoke Vladimir Putin into a dangerous response.